Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Looking for info from plumbers or anyone who has paid to unclog a sink. My kitchen sink with disposal backed up last night. My efforts with vinegar, baking soda, boiling hot water with disposal reset in the middle of that didn't work. Since I wasn't in the mood to remove a pipe and go for it myself, I called a plumbing company. I've used them before and price was reasonable. This time they charged $165 to use the snake. That's all he did. I think that's way too much and their charges are not supposed to include a base fee just for the ride. I'm wondering if they are now doing that and just not telling customers.
What do you think about $165 to snake a drain?
If it's too much then DIY. If you don't like the price get your own snake and get your hands dirty.
My plumber charges me $80 for a service call. Most service calls don't cost more than that. But I've been using him for 8 years. I don't bother price checking I trust the guy implicitly. And since I absolutely hate plumbing and like to have things done right I just let him do it. He is great, reliable and honest. I know the work us good and done right. He handles all my rentals also.
I love it when people say we charge too much. For the fee you get reliable workers, the job done right the FIRST time and a warranty and if you call for service and its a emergency we have a 2 hr response time no matter what day or time of night. I'm on call 24/7 for the hospitals and customers who demand/request the service.
I would say $165 for unclogging a sink is excessive! I am a nurse and I travel to patients homes to take care of them all day, and I do not get anywhere NEAR $165 for less than one hours work nor do I get any mileage pay. And I take care of a human life! The unfairness makes me sick. I'm not saying I should get so much more than I do now (but a raise would be nice since I have not had one in years - nor have any of my co-workers). I think plumbers make way too much for what little they are doing.
By the way, I noticed that some here didn't even bother to answer your direct question, they just went straight to judging you for asking a question that should be asked.
You are a nurse but you are not running a business there is a big difference. The plumber is running a business. Also that plumber is not making $165 for his pay which most naive people think...that is simply what he charged. He probably pays himself $30 an hour salary and the rest is for business expenses and overhead. You have to know how a business runs to understand these things.
Here's an example...
It takes someone 5 minutes to make me a sandwich in a deli and they charge $7+ At that rate if they made a sandwich every 5 minutes in one hour they would make $84 an hour. $84 an hour making sandwiches so with your logic they pocket all of that money right?
What someone charges and what someone makes is two different things.
I remember giving a lady a price on some electrical work and I said I charge $70 an hour. She responded "I don't make $70 an hour and I said...neither do I not even close.
The Internet is causing many business models to change for several reasons and one is that all can find out the pricing of most anything. One thing people have been objecting to is the "service call" fee of $xx.xx to show up at your home. I can easily defend it as it covers the cost of having people, vehicles, etc, but it is getting to be a less and less acceptable practice/model.
A local, major plumbing company started to advertise a fixed fee ($89.95 if memory serves me) to unclog any drain. Who do you think I am going to call?
Some will rebut that one does not know what they are going to find and they might just upsell you. True but back to my point. Who do you think I am going to call? Will it be the person that says well $65.00 to show up and we go from there or the $89.95 company?
I charge a fee to come out because too many people are wasting time just shopping for prices. If someone agrees to pay my dispatch fee then I know they are serious and not playing games. I also wave the fee if I am awarded the job when I arrive to give a price. If they don't hire me they pay the fee. More then fair.
It takes time out of my day to go to someones house and burn my fuel and wear and tear on my truck. It's only fair I be compensated for that if I don't get hired.
Honestly people who expect someone to go through all that and not get compensated at all are just plain ignorant. It could take hours on some estimates including travel time and I should get nothing in return?
Funny if your employer asked you to stay late for a couple hours after work with no pay you would say hell no.
Only us contractors are supposed to be able to eat this time and money
Had a great one man plumbing shop I would call and he would just take care of it and send the bill...
Standard charge was $95 and advertised no charge if he could not clear it. This is in the SF Bay Area
Standard charge would cover running the snake at an outside cleanout or clearing a drain or toilet.
Sadly, he retired and sold his truck and equipment... new guy has a $150 minimum that includes 15 minutes and not reliable.
Brother called to have a line snaked Friday where he lives... the invoice has a separate charge of $40 for use of the cable machine... never have I seen this... $330 total.
When Mike the plumber retired I went out and bought a Spartan 300 cable machine and a smaller sink machine plus accessories... almost $4,000 total.
It makes quick work of any problem... only downside is I have to do it.
Last edited by Ultrarunner; 01-08-2014 at 07:43 PM..
I wish we didn't have this notion that everyone has to go to college and become a lawyer or accountant. Many can make a good living at things like this (and it's hard to outsource this work overseas).
Exactly , kids should go to trade school in there not College material, I've never met a poor plumber or electrician yet .
Had a great one man plumbing shop I would call and he would just take care of it and send the bill...
Standard charge was $95 and no charge if he could not clear it.
I don't bill anyone it's COD I'm not a bank so I can't wait for my money. You want me to show up on time so I expect to be paid on time. I finish the work I get paid. You take your car to a mechanic and if you don't pay that day when it's done you don't get the keys back. Not sure why contractors should have to wait for payment? You know ahead of time it's going to cost money so have your checkbook ready.
Also if I gave a real effort to remove a clog and it couldn't be done without breaking the pipe I would expect to be paid for my time. You go to a doctor for illnesses and sometimes they can't figure it out so they send you to a specialist, yet they still get paid. Same with contractors we are human we aren't perfect so sometimes a second opinion is needed.
Exactly , kids should go to trade school in there not College material, I've never met a poor plumber or electrician yet .
By some of the hourly rates I'm reading here for plumbers I bet there are quite a few poor plumbers. $50 an hour? Handymen charge that hourly plumbing and electrical are skilled trades. For a plumber or electrician to succeed in business they need to charge well over $100 an hour no matter what location and how big the company is. If you charge $50 an hour you are making minimum wage after all expenses and overhead.
I don't bill anyone it's COD I'm not a bank so I can't wait for my money. You want me to show up on time so I expect to be paid on time. I finish the work I get paid. You take your car to a mechanic and if you don't pay that day when it's done you don't get the keys back. Not sure why contractors should have to wait for payment? You know ahead of time it's going to cost money so have your checkbook ready.
Also if I gave a real effort to remove a clog and it couldn't be done without breaking the pipe I would expect to be paid for my time. You go to a doctor for illnesses and sometimes they can't figure it out so they send you to a specialist, yet they still get paid. Same with contractors we are human we aren't perfect so sometimes a second opinion is needed.
I have never taken a car in for service... I do all my own work... brake jobs, rings, valve jobs, water pumps, body and fender work, paint, etc.
Also have been very fortunate when it comes to Doctors... I work with many and they would be offended if I offered to pay for an office visit... instead they always are calling me to help them out... last week it was a cast cutter that stopped working... it was so old the company went out of business and only needed new brushes
I manage property and have regular trades people on speed dail.
Many of the larger buildings are set up with easy access clean-outs and power... even if I have to add them.
Mike serviced these buildings and all it took was a call to say Mike, I need you at 123 Main street and that was it.
Never questioned his bill... if Mike said roots or collapsed pipe that is what it was... just as if he said tampons or plastic bags or syringes
Contractors want good repeat customers and my company policy is to pay as soon as I sign off... no playing games or chiseling.
Now... if I actually had to go to an apartment or commercial property I would simply do the job myself with my Sparton cable machines... I keep a fully supplied service van with an assotment of traps, wax rings, facuets, flex lines, copper fittings, pipe dies, pipe, plus generator and invertor power.
It's the same when I go to the wholesale houses and my favorite hardware store and buy on account.
I came across Mike just by accident... he got out of the military where he did maintenance... was having trouble getting a good job and decided to open his own rooter service with a big ad in the yellow pages saying, "No Charge if I can't clear it"
I asked him how many jobs he walked away from and he said he can count the number on his fingers...
Last edited by Ultrarunner; 01-08-2014 at 07:51 PM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
. For the fee you get reliable workers, the job done right the FIRST time and a warranty and if you call for service and its a emergency we have a 2 hr response time no matter what day or time of night. I'm on call 24/7 for the hospitals and customers who demand/request the service.
Handymen charge that hourly plumbing and electrical are skilled trades. For a plumber or electrician to succeed in business they need to charge well over $100 an hour no matter what location and how big the company is. If you charge $50 an hour you are making minimum wage after all expenses and overhead.
